Workout of the day:Overhead Squat 3-3-3-3-3 reps

The snatch and overhead squat require not just an ok squat, but a great squat. We will use today to practice the squat with perfect form (shoulders back, weight on heels, head neutral). Sage Burgener, daughter of Oly Coach Mike Burgener, has been lifting heavier than all of us combined since she was 5 years old. She has a great blog you can check out here. Here is her sassy take on the overhead squat:

“If you can hold a barbell overhead with heavy weight on it, comfortably, then you are on the right track. Its all about holding it with your body. Let me repeat that so I can make this more dramatic.. ITS ALL ABOUT HOLDING IT WITH YOUR BODY. Too many times we try to manipulate that bar overhead with our arms. We think that all those curls for the girls will finally pay off and we start relying on “muscling” that bar into place. If you do that, you will fail miserably and may possibly become a worse person. The key is to find the right place overhead (typically right behind the ears), and hold it there without letting the bar move ONE millimeter. You want to feel your traps, your lats, EVERYTHING pushing straight up on the bar. You need to be in control of the bar, do not let the bar be in control of you (deep… i know..)

WARNING: some people have a tendency to activate the shoulders by rolling them forward, as if to hide the neck. THIS IS WRONG. Try to feel your armpits facing straight ahead as everything is pushing uptowards the ceiling. If we roll our shoulders forward, the bar will move forward and we find ourselves, yet again, holding the bar with our arms. Try it for me.. put both your arms overhead, now roll your shoulders forward. See how your hands move forward too? Now push everything straight up. Feel the difference? Boom shakalaka.”

The cool down is all about intensity with the format being a little different than the usual amrap. Today, the tempo of the exercise is more important than the number of reps. At the first sign of muscular fatigue or slowing down in any way, the switch between exercises should be made. The rep cap means you can do no more than 5 handstand push-ups or 10 box jumps at a time. That means you might start out being able to do 5 and 10 but may drop off to 3 and 6. Again, the rep scheme is forfeited to maintain the stimulus. If you cannot do handstand push-ups, you will be doing regular push-ups. Your score is total reps.